LONDON (CelebrityAccess) – Kevin Brennan, MP, Carla Marie Williams, Crispin Hunt and the late Rupert Hine have been named as the first recipients of an Ivors Academy Honour.
As a community of songwriters and composers, The Ivors Academy wants to honour and celebrate exceptional individuals from the music industry who are creating positive change and championing music creators. Through Ivors Academy Honours, we will recognize the innovators, the trailblazers, the leaders and the unsung heroes who inspire and support us.
The new award brings back the tradition of the Academy’s Gold Badge Awards, which recognized exceptional people from the music industry who create positive change and champion music creators.
The Gold Badge Awards were founded in 1974 and last presented in 2019. Past recipients include Peter Gabriel, Beverly Knight, Bob Geldof, Trevor Nelson and others.
Information about each recipient can be found below:
Welsh Labour politician Kevin Brennan has served as the MP for Cardiff West since 2001. A passionate advocate for music he has repeatedly worked towards meaningful change for creators and championing the importance of music to society. In 2014, he led a campaign with musician Billy Bragg to lift a blanket ban on prisoners having access to guitars as a means for rehabilitation. As a member of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee he was a driving force behind a report in 2021 that called for a “complete reset” of the economics of streaming to benefit creators. Kevin followed the report with a Private Members Bill in 2022 that proposed a series of reforms to the ways that music creators are remunerated. A member of the world’s only Parliamentary rock band, MP4, Brennan is Chair of the Music All Party Parliamentary Group which provides a valuable cross-party forum for discussion between the music industry and parliamentarians.
Carla Marie Williams is a songwriter and producer known for her contributions to hit songs, including Beyoncé’s Freedom, Naughty Boy’s Runnin’, Britney Spears’ Private Show and Ivor Novello nominated song The Promise by Girls Aloud. Awarded Women in Music’s Campaigner of 2021, Williams founded the movement GIR (Girls I Rate) in 2016. The movement provides women aged 16 – 30 a voice and opportunities within the music and creative industries. GIR initiatives include Future Hitmaker and Mentor Me – safe spaces for women artists, songwriters and producers to come together, collaborate, gain access to mentorship and commercial work with major labels and publishers. Carla’s exemplary leadership has created an impactful movement for change within the music industry.
Multi-platinum selling songwriter and producer Crispin Hunt began his career as lead singer of the Longpigs and has since worked with Jake Bugg, Florence and The Machine, Lana Del Ray, Ellie Goulding, and Luke Sital-Singh. Alongside his creative work, Hunt has dedicated much of his professional life to campaigning on behalf of music creators including roles on the Boards of the Featured Artists Coalition, PRS for Music and PPL. The Academy wishes to recognise the immense contribution Crispin made when elected as Chair of The Ivors Academy from 2016 to 2022.
Rupert Hine’s influence on popular music was, and remains massive. A recording artist in his own right, he produced over 120 albums with such household names as Tina Turner, Bob Geldof and Rush. Commissioned by the Dalai Lama to produce an album for peace in 2008, he mustered Dave Mathews, Sting, Alanis Morissette, Ben Harper, Imogen Heap, Moby, Duncan Sheik, Jackson Browne and Suzanne Vega. During the Olympics, the album became the 3rd most downloaded album across all genres on iTunes worldwide.
Alongside these international successes, Hine was, above all, a wise voice in the industry, a go-to person for every aspect. He was a board member for multiple music industry forums, including The Ivors Academy, and never stopped seeking out and nurturing new talent.
Rupert passed away on 4th June 2020. His Ivors Academy Honour is awarded posthumously.
